The Mass Combat Turn
Home>Tabletop Games>System-Agnostic>Mass Combat System Mass combat turns are carried out as follows. Phase 1: Strategy Each side secretly decides two different actions for each friendly unit that is not Out Of Command. The game master decides the actions of those units that do. The side does not decide on the targets of any actions at this point, only the actions themselves. At this point, each side may also set general guidelines for one friendly unit that is not Out Of Command. If that unit becomes Out Of Command this turn, it will follow those guidelines for as long as it remains Out Of Command. Phase 2: Take Actions All units take their actions in the following order. If any units act at the same step, they act simultaneously unless otherwise stated. Actions that are impossible at the time they are taken (no targets available, forbidden by an earlier action, etc) are null and void. If an action involves another unit, both units must be in the same Point. A unit cannot change its action at this phase, though it can abandon a declared action before taking it and do nothing instead. Some units may take actions not listed here. These are handled as the Miscellaneous action: Miscellaneous The unit takes some action not described in these rules, such as patrolling, drilling and passing time, making a Path impassable, demoralizing a target, or attempting to recruit allies. The game master determines any mechanics involved. Step 2-1: Preparation Units take the Claim, Encircle, Entrench, Promote, Raze, Release, Surrender, and Use Ability actions, as well as any Miscellaneous actions not fitting any other step. Claim If there are only friendly units in the Point, the unit attempts an Easy Tactics check. If successful, it claims any or all Point Specials. Encircle Make an opposed Tactics check against a unit. If successful, that unit gains the Encircled Quandary. A unit may only encircle one target at a time, and may only be encircled by one unit at a time. A unit of ≤ Base cannot attempt to encircle. Entrench Add the Cover, Fortification, or Hazard: High/Base (Explosives or Caltrops) Special to the Point on a successful Very Easy Logistics check. Alternately, add the Bluff: (create a unit with (Quality × 10) points) or Narrow: (Quantity) Special to the Point on a successful Easy Logistics check, or the High Ground Special on a Standard Logistics check. Promote The unit makes one of its commanders a leader. Raze Remove a Special from this Point on a successful Discipline check at a difficulty assigned by the game master, if there are no enemy units in it. The game master has final say as to which Specials may be razed. Release Choose a Special that this unit claims. The unit no longer claims that Special, instead granting the claim to an allied unit that is taking the Claim action. Neither unit may be Out Of Command; if either unit is, the Special instead reverts to being unclaimed. Surrender The unit abandons the battle. If there is at least one enemy unit in the same Point with the ability to accept surrenders, the unit gains the Surrendered Quandary. Use Ability Use Active benefits and effects of Quiver abilities, Quandaries, and Point Specials. Step 2-2: Movement Units take the Move action, as well as any movement-related Miscellaneous actions. Move A unit may attempt to move. The unit makes a Logistics check at a difficulty determined by the number of moves it wishes to gain: to gain 1 move, it must pass a Very Easy check, and each additional move increases the difficulty by one step. Once the unit has ≥ distance, it is removed from its old position and arrives at the new one; any remainder may be either discarded or assigned to a Path out of the new Point, potentially moving the unit across several Points in one action. Units that have moves assigned to a Path cannot take the Move action on any other Path, and units with ≤ Base cannot attempt the Move action. Step 2-3: Perception If you are using the Intelligence rules, remove each side’s Fog Of War on all Points where that side has a unit or a friendly line of supply. Units also have a chance of blowing Stealth at this point. Units take the Recon and Scout actions and any perception-related Miscellaneous actions. Recon The unit makes an opposed Discipline check against a target. If successful, the side learns one of the following, chosen before the action: the details of one named ability (including whether or not the target has that ability), the names and general descriptions of the target’s commanders, the target’s Quality or Quickness, or the target’s orders for the turn. If the target does not actually exist, any relevant Bluff Special is removed automatically. Scout Use only if you are using the Intelligence rules. Remove Fog Of War on all Points with Paths to this one that share movement types with you. Do not include Secret Ways Paths. Step 2-4: Combat Units take the Attack, Decapitate, Mop Up, and Punch Through actions, as well as any Miscellaneous actions affecting enemy units that do not involve perception. Attack The unit enters combat with another unit with > Base. Both units make an opposed check using the worse of Tactics and Discipline; the loser damages Quantity. Decapitate The unit tries to eliminate another unit’s leadership. Both units make an opposed check using the better of Tactics, Discipline, or any other unit skill the game master considers appropriate. If the unit wins the check, it chooses one commander from each unit; these commanders immediately enter personal combat. Unless at least one commander is a player character, handle this as both commanders exchanging attacks for one minute. Execute A Surrendered unit in the same point damages Quantity automatically. The unit gains the War Crime Quandary. A unit may only be subject to the Execute action once per turn. Mop Up The unit attempts to eliminate stragglers of another unit with ≤ Base. The unit makes a Tactics check opposed by the target's Discipline. If the target loses this opposed check, each of its commanders exchanges one minute of attacks with (one die) standard soldiers; if at least (target's commanders dice) of these soldiers are defeated or the unit loses the opposed check, the unit damages Quantity. Units with ≤ Base cannot attempt to Mop Up. Punch Through Before taking this action, the unit may reduce its effective Quantity by any amount to increase its effective Discipline by the same amount. Make an opposed Discipline check against all units claiming one Blocked Special. If successful against a target, all allied units of Quantity no greater than that of the acting unit ignore the target’s claim on that Blocked Special until the end of next turn. Regardless of the result, take the Exhausted Quandary. This is treated as an attack for purposes of the Encircled Quandary. Step 2-5: Spoils Units take the Block, Cut Line, Establish Line, Split, and Take Command actions, as well as any Miscellaneous actions related to lines or objectives. Block On a successful Standard Tactics check, the unit puts and claims (if able) the Blocked Special on one Path. Cut Line Remove all enemy lines of supply that share a movement type with the unit from the Point on a successful Easy Tactics check, as long as there are no enemy units in the Point. In addition, if the owner of that line of supply cannot do a line trace from that Point to a Supply Depot, remove all lines of supply belonging to the owner with a line trace to the unit. Establish Line If there is a Path into the Point containing an allied line, and there are no enemy units in the Point, add a friendly line of the same type to each Path sharing a movement type with the unit on a successful Easy Logistics check. Split The unit splits into (one die + 1) units of one less Quantity. The new units have the same Quality, Quickness, Quandaries, claimed Specials, and unit skills, and divide their commanders and abilities among themselves however they like. Take Command The unit transfers one of its commanders to a friendly unit in the same Point. Phase 3: Cleanup The game master does the following in order: Step 3-1: Quandaries Each unit checks the To Resolve and To Suppress conditions of its Quandaries. Step 3-2: Lines Each unit must do a line trace to a Supply Depot, pass a Legendary Logistics check (with a Mild penalty for each other allied unit in the same Point), or gain one iteration of Out Of Supply if it did not already have one; if the unit cannot do a line trace, remove all allied lines of supply with a line trace to it. If the setting is one where military communication is handled by couriers or runners, units may also gain Quandaries such as Out Of Command or Delayed Orders, based on the line trace or its length. In addition to this, if a side has no friendly Supply Depots, all of its units gain the Desperate Quandary. They do not gain it if they already have it. Step 3-3: Fog of War If you are using the Intelligence rules, add Fog of War to all Points. At this point, any units with Delayed Orders report their oldest unreported turns, and any units that have lost Out Of Command this turn report all turns taken while Out Of Command. Step 3-4: The Whims of Fate If the game master wishes for any strange effects to happen, such as a snowstorm coming out of nowhere or a sudden betrayal of one side, they happen now. The Hazard Special applies at this point as well. Step 3-5: Check Conditions See if any side has met its victory or defeat conditions. If any sides are willing and able to continue the battle, go to Phase 1.